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Greek · G1012 · unreviewed

βουλή

Plan

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βουλή G1012
Pronunciation boulḗ

What does βουλή (boulḗ) mean in the Bible?

βουλή (boulḗ) is a Greek word meaning "plan". βουλή, -ῆς, ἡ (βούλομαι), [in LXX frequently for עֵצָה ;] counsel, purpose (in cl. Refers to God’s sovereign redemptive purpose.

Full entry for βουλή (G1012) · Browse the biblical lexicon

Meaning

plan
Extended definition

Deliberate counsel or purpose, often divine; implies reasoned determination rather than mere will.

(βούλομαι), [in LXX frequently for עֵצָה ;] counsel, purpose (in cl., esp. of the gods): Luk.23:51, Act.4:28 5:38 19:1 27:12, 42; pl., 1Co.4:5; of the Divine purpose, Heb.6:17; τ. βουλὴν τ. θελήματος αὐτοῦ, Eph.1:11; β. τ. Θεοῦ, Luk.7:30, Act.2:23 13:36 20:27.

Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Why This Word Matters
Refers to God’s sovereign redemptive purpose. Acts 20:25-38
Affirms comprehensive proclamation of God’s redemptive plan. Luke 7:18–35
Grammatical Forms

How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.

Nominative · Singular · Feminine Acts 4:28 · Acts 5:38 · Acts 27:42 3×
Genitive · Singular · Feminine Heb 6:17 1×
Dative · Singular · Feminine Luke 23:51 · Acts 2:23 · Acts 13:36 3×
Accusative · Singular · Feminine Luke 7:30 · Acts 20:27 · Acts 27:12 · Eph 1:11 4×
Accusative · Plural · Feminine 1 Cor 4:5 1×
12 total occurrences across all forms in the biblical text Morphology: MorphGNT SBLGNT — CC BY-SA 3.0
Biblical Occurrences

Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.

New Testament Witnesses
Acts 20:25-38 Whole Counsel boulḗ Accusative · Singular · Feminine
Purpose, plan, or counsel.
Luke 7:18–35 βουλή boulḗ Accusative · Singular · Feminine
counsel
Appears In

Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.

βουλή · καρδία G1012, G2588
intentions or purposes within the heart
ἀθετέω · βουλή G114, G1012
rejected the counsel or purpose of God
Word Pictures (Robertson)

A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.

Acts 20 — Paul’s Farewell Charge to Shepherd the Church of God Luke 7 — The Compassionate Lord Who Heals, Raises, Confirms, and Forgives

A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain

Sources

MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0

Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0

STEPBible Data — CC BY 4.0

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